U.S. Criminal Justice System

August 27, 2014 @ 5:45 PM - 7:45 PM

U.S. Criminal Justice System

August 27, 2014

The percentage of Americans in prison or jail has grown five-fold in the last forty years and is now the highest in the world. In fact, the United States has 5% of the world’s population, yet 25% of the incarcerated population. And yet many question whether or not the U.S. is really a safer place to live.

A majority of the incarcerated population come from poor, minority communities with little schooling. Among young black men who have dropped out of high school, 70% have been to prison. For black men in certain communities, going to prison has become more common than graduating college with a four-year degree. (Source: Prison Studies Project and Bruce Western)

Join us for a conversation about this important American institution — hear the results of decades of research about the U.S. criminal justice system, and explore how it got to be this way. We’ll allow plenty of time for Q&A and discussion so you can develop your thoughts and opinions on the matter.

Overview given by:

Bruce Western

Co-Founder, US Prison Studies Project

Director, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Professor of Sociology, Harvard University

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The Civic Series is a set of regular events, each one intended to breakdown and provide non-partisan, background information on complex global and national issues. Sessions include topics like Syria, Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, the state of the American prison system, and others. Learn more at www.thecivicseries.com .